Perdido School Honors Veterans, Presents $3,600 To Honor Flight
November 15, 2009
Students at Perdido School honored veterans Friday, and they presented $3,600 to South Alabama Honor Flight in memory of Marines from Walnut Hill and Perdido.
Perdido School hosted over 75 veterans during their Friday morning program. “Veteran of the Year Dr. Barry Booth” was the guest speaker. He shared a video of the September 16 Honor Flight with students and guests, explaining the importance of honoring “the greatest generation”.
Escambia County High School’s JROTC Color Guard and Rifle Drill Teams from Atmore performed, student’s presented their essay’s for the Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, the middle school band performed, and the elementary students sang the five military hymns. Tap was played at the close of the program.
Dr. Booth and Margaret Coley, who head up the fund raising efforts for the Honor Flight, were presented $1,200 in memory former Perdido student Marine Lance Corporal Bruce Ferrell who was killed in Afghanistan in August. Additional donations of $2,400 were presented in memory of PFC Russell W. Stewart USMC, Walnut Hill native.
Submitted story for NorthEscambia.com.
Northview, Ernest Ward Cheerleaders Headed To National Championships
November 15, 2009
Both the Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle School cheerleaders will have the chance to compete for a national title early next year in Orlando.
Both teams received national championship invitations following the Universal Cheerleaders Association West Florida Regional Saturday at Tate High School.
Last year, the Ernest Ward Middle cheerleaders took second best in the nation. The Northview cheerleaders did not take part in last year’s competition.
Pictured above: The Northview High School cheerleaders Friday night in Pensacola. Pictured below: The Ernest Ward Middle School cheerleaders perform at an EWMS football game earlier this year. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Juniors Advance To League Football Finals
November 15, 2009
The Cantonment Juniors beat Pensacola 24-6 Saturday to advance to the championship game in the Gulf Coast Youth Football Alliance.
The Cantonment Cowboys will play Ensley for the league championship next Saturday. Ensley defeated Navarre 24-14 on Saturday in semi-final action.
A total of 7,000 children ages 5 to 14 in 16 cities take part in youth tackle football and cheerleading in the Gulf Coast Youth Football Alliance.
Commissioner Plans District 5 Town Hall Meeting
November 15, 2009
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Kevin White will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Community Center at 7850 Highway 97.
The District 5 meeting will begin with comments from the commissioner and proceed into an open forum. The public is encouraged to attend and ask questions and share comments.
For more information about this meeting, contact White’s office at 595-4950.
Skaggs Named To Navy-Marine Corp All-Time Football Team
November 15, 2009
A former North Escambia resident has been named to the All-Stadium Team to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Navy-Marine Corp Memorial Stadium.
John Skaggs, a 2000 graduate of Tate High School, was named to the specials teams of the All-Time Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Team Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Naval Academy is holding a season-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, including honoring the 1959 Navy team that defeated William & Mary in the first game played at the stadium. Additionally, an all-time Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium team is being selected with fans having an opportunity to nominate and vote for their favorite Navy players who have played at the stadium.
The all-time team will be revealed at halftime throughout the 2009 season.
Skaggs earned three varsity letters (2001, ‘02, ‘03) and was the punter on the 2003 Navy team that won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy and played in the Houston Bowl. Skaggs is the school record holder for single-season and career punting average. He averaged a school-record 44.8 yards per punt as a sophomore and his 41.4 average as a senior, ranking him fifth in school history. Skaggs’ career average of 42.5 yards per punt is almost two yards better than any other punter in school history. As a senior, Skaggs was selected to pay in the East-West Shrine Game and the Gridiron Classic All-Star Game. In 2001, Skaggs had 48 punts for 2,151 yards.
“It was an honor to just be considered for the stadium team,” Skaggs told NorthEscambia.com, “and it was definitely an honor to be chosen out of out of the people nominated.”
Skaggs was selected by fan balloting that was conducted on navysports.com (50 percent of the vote) and by a committee (50 percent of the vote) made up of Navy Sports Information Director Scott Strasemeier, Navy football historian Jack Clary, former Annapolis Capital Sports Editor and Navy beat writer Joe Gross, current Navy beat writer for the Annapolis Capital Bill Wagner, Navy broadcasters Bob Socci and Pete Medhurst and Navy football historian and former beat writer for the Washington Post Christian Swezey.
Skaggs and his wife Emily (Fillingim) Skaggs now reside in Panama City. They both have numerous relatives in the North Escambia area. Skaggs was honored during halftime of Saturday’s Navy win over Delaware.
International Paper To Award $40,000 In Grants
November 15, 2009
The International Paper (IP) Pensacola Mill will award $40,000 in Foundation Grants in 2010 and is hosting a free workshop to review the application process with interested non-profit organizations, qualifying state and federal entities, and municipalities.
The workshop is scheduled for next Thursday, November 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the mill’s Employee Development Center in Cantonment; the presentation will focus on eligibility, criteria and restrictions.
Reservations to attend the workshop are required as space is limited. Attendance is not mandatory for eligibility. The deadline for all 2010 grant applications is January 13.
Grants are awarded by the IP Foundation out of Memphis, Tenn., which primarily focuses on environmental education, literacy, employee involvement, and new critical community needs. Applicants must be a registered 501c3 non-profit organization or qualifying municipality to apply.
For more information about the Foundation, visit www.ipgiving.com.
To reserve your seat at the workshop, contact Jessica Morris at (850) 968-4203 or via email at jessica.morris@ipaper.com.
Escambia County Gives Two Tons of Shoes to Soles4Souls
November 15, 2009
As a part of the Shoe Reuse & Recycling Program, the Escambia County Solid Waste Management Division recently delivered 5,040 pounds of new and used shoes to Souls4Souls, a non-profit group that facilitates the donation of shoes to needy persons worldwide.
Shoes donated to Soles4Souls are sorted by size, condition and type, and separated by the age or gender group for which they are designed. The charity then delivers shoes to the underprivileged in both large, general quantities as well as small, specific orders. Ladies’ dress shoes are frequently requested as they are in high demand at women’s shelters across the United States. Shoes that are not wearable are recycled to be used as material for projects such as basketball courts and running tracks.
To donate shoes to this ongoing project, rubber-band your gently worn shoes in pairs and bring them to one of three county collection points, the Perdido Landfill, 13009 Beulah Road; Escambia County Parks and Recreation, 1651 E. Nine Mile Road; or Escambia Extension, 3740 Stefani Road.
For more information about the program or how you can help, call (850) 937-2160.
Early Morning House Fire Seriously Injures One
November 14, 2009
One person was severely injured in an early morning house fire just north of 10 Mile Road.
The fire was reported at 12:12 a.m. in the 700 block of Bison Road, near the intersection of 10 Mile Road and Chemstrand Road. A 911 caller reported fire shooting out of a back window of the home, and the first fire units on scene also reported a working fire when they arrived just minutes later.
One person was found inside the home. That person was transported by ambulance to West Florida Hospital. Their condition was not immediately known but was believed to be serious.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal.
The Ensley, Cantonment, Ferry Pass and Brent stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the blaze.
Northview’s Winning Season Ends With Loss To West Florida
November 14, 2009
The Northview Chiefs finished their regular season Friday night at 7-3, a far cry from last year’s 2-8, and that makes first year Head Coach Sid Wheatley proud.
“Walk with your heads up, you won seven ballgames this year,” Wheatley told his Chiefs after their 14-17 loss to West Florida Tech. “I thought you played with tremendous effort.”
“I hate that it ended tonight the way that it did. The same group won two ballgames last year,” he said. “I’m so proud, so proud of what they have accomplished.”
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery with nearly 200 photos, click here.
The West Florida Jaguars (4-6) jumped out to the lead with about two minutes to go in the first quarter with a 47-yard Kyle Faxlanger pass to Al Harris. With a good extra point from Luke Jackson, the Jags held a 7-0 lead with 1:56 remaining in the first quarter.
With two and a half minutes to go in the half, Northview tied the game with a 5-yard Brandon Sheets pass to Brad Lowery and a gook kick from Lowery. Headed into the locker rooms at the half, the game was tied 7-7 in Pensacola.
With 45 seconds to go in the third, the Jaguars managed a 28-yard field goal from Jackson to take a 10-0 lead.
A Lowery to La’Mikal Kyles handoff was good for a 4-yard touchdown with 6:02 in the third. Lowery’s kick was through the uprights, putting the Chiefs back in the lead 14-10 in fourth quarter.
But 1:15 to go in the in the game, a 31-yard pass from Faxlanger to Harris was good for a touchdown, capping a 70-yard drive. A good kick from Jackson put the Jags back on top 17-14.
“It was a hard fought ballgame; both teams played extremely hard,” Wheatley said. “We only gave up 17 points, and on most nights, that would be enough to win.”
Offensively, the Chiefs had 243 yards on 51 plays, almost evenly matched to West Florida’s 268 yards on 50 downs.
Roderick Woods had 10 carries for 62 yards for Northview, and Sheets was 8 for 13 for a touchdown and 85 yards.
The regular season is over for the Chiefs; they did not make the district playoffs. But the Chiefs will play again next Saturday, November 21, during a post-season North Escambia bowl game against Tate. The game kicks off at high noon at Pete Gindl Stadium.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery with nearly 200 photos, click here.
Pictured above: Action from West Florida High versus Northview Friday night in Pensacola. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pack Of Wild Dogs, Not Coyotes, Likely Killed Two Dozen Molino Goats
November 14, 2009
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission now says about two dozen goats found dead earlier in the week were not killed by coyotes but by a pack of wild dogs, and animal control officers are warning area residents to be careful.
FWC officers said that coyotes will not typically attack animals larger than themselves, and other evidence in the Brickyard Road pasture pointed at dogs, not coyotes.
Molino pet owners are urged to take small pets inside at night at not leave them outdoors.
Wednesday night, Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies, Escambia County Animal Control and the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife were dispatched to a pasture in the 6000 block of Fairground Road in Molino.
The owner of 20 goats — 12 adult and eight babies – reported the animals to have been missing or dead in their pasture. Deputies were able to locate the bodies of all eight baby goats and a few of the adult goats. While deputies Heath Cheatham and his partner were investigating, they saw what they believed to be two coyotes in the field.
“While in the pasture looking for the goats, we observed two coyotes to be walking through the wood line area of the pasture,” Cheatham sad in his report. “All of the goats that were located appeared to be killed as a natural act of predation by coyotes.”
A family’s domestic dog was also reportedly killed by the pack of wild dogs.